Galaxy Tab 10.1 Faces Ban in U.S.

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet PC looks highly likely to be banned in the U.S. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Monday accepted part of a request from Apple for a preliminary ban on the sale of four Samsung products -- the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and three smartphone models.

The court accepted Apple's request to ban the Galaxy Tab 10.1 -- one of four tablet PCs Samsung sells in the U.S. -- and returned the case to the district court for a retrial.

But it rejected the call to ban the three smartphones.

As a result, the district court will have to reopen the case over the Galaxy Tab 10.1 as soon as possible. Given that the appellate court recognized the need to ban it, the district will most likely follow suit.

No date for a retrial has been set. Apple appealed after the district court dismissed its claim late last year that all four Samsung products violate its design patents.

But a ban of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 would inflict no great losses on Samsung since it is an old model released last summer and only has a small market share, a Samsung spokesman said.

The two electronics giants face each other in a series of suits and counter-suits around the world over patent violations.